Bonds
by pJato431
Summary: Years of Mako and Korra's 'marriage' life. "If I catch you trying to sleep with my husband again, my role as Avatar will be…temporarily forgotten."
1. Marriage

**Basically this is a re-write of my original story **_**Second Step**_**, but the first chapter will be the same except for the ending. After watching Mr. & Mrs. Smith, I was kind of re-inspired to **_**re **_**-write the whole thing again…yes, I'm bipolar that way. Okay, for now, since I don't have a lot of time, I probably won't do daily updates and it may take like a whole month for the next updates, but think of it as a shojo manga…if you know what that is. Okay, here goes and it was also based on this image ** : / / . # / j

_Ba Sing Se 178 ASC_

A young man of 26 gave out a sigh as he put his bag down and basically collapsed on the couch in his hotel room. It was a long travel, to get from Omashu to Ba Sing Se and quite frankly, he was tired. The radio was playing out statistics from the current ongoing pro-bending match between the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles and the Tigerdillos. Of course, this was all taking place in Republic City, his old home, in which he hasn't been in for the last three years. Groaning, he got up and turned off the radio, only wanting for a peaceful and quiet atmosphere right now. He went to the bathroom and looked at his reflection in the mirror, he hasn't shaved in days and it was starting to give him a grungy look. His eyes gave a hard look, like it's always been and his hair still had that same look.

Taking out a razor and some cream, he started shaving except for the goatee that he grew and decided to keep; sideburns threatened to grow as part of the beard, but he always made sure that it's trimmed just enough to prevent his goatee from becoming a beard.

_Are you trying to be like Tenzin?_

There it was again, that annoying voice that has always been bothering him. It's been quite a while, but remnants of that memory comes back every once in a while, but like always(and somewhat unwillingly), the memories are pushed aside. It was already twilight and he knew he should be heading out soon, after all, he did pay for the nightly tour and it wasn't cheap.

The air was somewhat polluted as the streets were congested at this time of the day and week. He manages to grab his tour trolley in time and it started. He had his hood up and rested in his seat next to an elderly woman. Like with all other tours he's been in, his mind starts drifting off elsewhere.

His decision to start travelling the world happened when he was 22, but made no actions until a year later. His brother would often call him and see how he was doing, but even he could tell that Bolin was missing him dearly. Everyone was very supportive of his decision to start travelling, everyone, but they all started wondering if he would ever come back to Republic City. His Pro-Bending days were over, even if he did retire quite young. The Fire Ferrets had quite a large amount of fans, which is why he was staying in the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se with a hood. He put up his scarf to hide his mouth, just in case anyone was a keen observer. Speaking of, he hasn't thought of his parents since the Revolution Ended during his teens. Even after finally letting go of their memories, he still kept the scarf just to honor his father and keep the images of his parents strong and clear in his mind. It's been almost 20 years since their deaths and he could still remember the chaos that was ensuing all around him and his brother.

"Excuse me sir, this is the last stop of the tour and we're closing up soon," said the tour guide and all he would do is just nod his head and get off the trolley.

He was still within the Middle Ring area, but he decided to look for an isolated bar somewhere. He needed a drink, maybe some Sake ought to help rid him of his brooding thoughts.

Finally arriving at the bar, he looked around and there weren't many people, it was quiet too, so he put his hood down but kept the scarf close to his face. He sat down and ordered some Sake which had 5% cactus juice in it, perfect for clearing his mind. A lot of things happened since then, the Revolution ended rather…bittersweet. Amon turned out to be a bender himself, a water-bender specifically but also a blood-bender; at the last moment to save himself, he accidentally created a water sprout revealing his true identity and escaped. Later on, a fishing boat caught two charred and un-recognizable bodies…it was Amon and Tarrlok, the only proof were their clothing, or what remained of it. His thoughts were cut short when a woman appeared next to him.

"So what's a handsome young man like you doing around here in this shab of a bar?" The woman sat down next to him, looking very flirty. He glanced at her and noted that her shirt neck was a little too low and the side of her skirt were a little cut so as to reveal her legs.

"Oh you know, drinking my problems away, like everyone else in the room," he sarcastically replied, but it wasn't harsh.

"Problems? Well, I don't seem like it, but you can tell me, my lips are sealed," she giggled, but there was a seductive tone in it. He only smirked, even in his near drunk state, there was no way she was getting what she wanted.

"Nah, I wouldn't want to you trouble you with my sad life," he joked and a flash of irritation crossed the woman's face, but said nothing.

"Well, the name's Ziao Jie, but you can call me Jie for short," she now introduced, but he stayed silent which further irritated her. For a few minutes, while he was drinking she observed his facial features and realized who he was.

"You're Mako! Mako from the Fire Ferrets! How could I have not realized that before?" the woman exclaimed and the people who were in the room turned their heads. They all stared at the two of them, but mostly him.

He sighed heavily, clearly annoyed. "Yes, I am, now I tried to be subtle, but I'll be clear, please go away."

The woman didn't budge; instead she bore an evil seductive grin on her face. "Oh come on, don't be that way, a famous guy like you should, ahem, loosen up some."

Her finger was tracing from his arm to his face, but just as she was about to touch his face, he suddenly grabbed her hand. There was, without a doubt, a ring on his finger, on his left hand.

"I see, so you're taken," Jie pointed out at the ring in his finger, "She doesn't have to know."

"Forget it, I'm not going anywhere tonight," He was really drunk at this point, of course he was going back to his hotel room, but he couldn't really process how he was going back, much less think straight.

"Who said you were going somewhere tonight, I live right upstairs, but if you want to be that way, fine. At least tell me who she is, is it that Sato girl? I heard you two were quite the couple back in the days," she stated, not giving up.

"I'm not saying no nothin'," his voice slurred, he was surprised that his brain could still process what this Jie girl was saying.

"Not even a hint? You're such a jerk," she smirked.

A woman laughed from across the counter table, she was sitting in the dark part where they couldn't see her face clearly. But Mako froze mid-air as he was about to take another swish of his sake and he sighed, setting it down. Jie was confused.

"Is something funny, miss?" Jie questioned, a little annoyed that someone was messing with her _plan_.

"Oh nothing, nothing, it's just…he's always been a jerk, especially at first meetings, but don't worry, he'll warm up to you." The unknown lady explained, still stifling a laugh.

"And you've met him how exactly?" Jie kept questioning, now getting even more edgy and a little jealous.

"That, my friend, is a secret, but the name's Korra," she finally came out and took a seat next to the very drunk Mako who groaned. Jie's eyes widened and even shot up from her seat, a hint of fear in her eyes. Korra's style changed slightly over the years, her parka jacket had a little more fur, her shirt had more designs in them and she let her hair down, but she still had her signature two pony tails in the front, and a small bun behind her head. She looked exactly her age, 25 and still kicking. "Although, it won't be a secret too long judging by the look on your face."

"K-K-K-Korra? As in THE Avatar Korra?" Jie stuttered, backing away just a little and Korra just laughed.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you, I'm supposed to be a peace keeper," Korra explained, taking her shot of sake from Mako's hand.

"Hey!" Mako protested, but he was way too drunk as his head hit the table.

"And he's always been a bad drunk whenever he starts drinking," she chuckled.

"I-I-I see, I heard the stories of how you and him worked together to take down Amon those years ago. You were part of the Fire Ferrets, weren't you?" Jie wondered, now abandoning thoughts of getting to Mako.

"Yes I was, and can you please keep it down? The only reason I come here is so I don't get crowded, apparently Mr. Cactus Juice here had the same idea," Korra pointed at the sleeping drunk.

"My apologies, Avatar Korra," she apologized, blushing a little.

"Please, just Korra, anyways, I have to get going, it was nice to meet you," Korra placed a hand on Jie's shoulder.

And like Mako, she noticed there was a ring on Korra's finger and her eyes widened yet again. Korra leaned her head in toward Jie's ear and whispered, "If I catch you trying to sleep with my husband again, my role as Avatar will be…temporarily forgotten."

Korra had a sweet smile as she leaned back, but Jie could see the dark aura through the words and quickly ran out of the Bar. Sighing, Korra turned back towards Mako, who was still dozing.

"Come on Cool Guy, you're sleeping in my room tonight," Korra rolled her eyes as she slung Mako's arm around her shoulders and dragged him out.

Mako regained consciousness only 5 minutes after he was dragged out by his wife, but he was still drunk.

"I don't need yer help, missy, my hotel is only on the obber zide of tooowwn," he groaned.

"Yes Mako and that's about half an hour away from here, I am not going to put up with your vomiting…_again_," she emphasized that last word.

"Lazt sime, I did," he retorted. "With _yer_ bomiting, I meen."

"Well, I'm not a guy, I don't have time to put up with vomit and other gross stuff," she grunted back as they were now entering through the hotel lobby. Luckily, no one was around at the hour and the check-in guy was asleep, snoring.

"You're just lasy."

When they arrived at Korra's room, he immediately threw up in the toilet. Korra was trying hard not to listen as her husband wretch all of his contents out. She grabbed a glass of water and mouthwash, handing it to him as he came out. He took it gladly and the taste went away, he wasn't completely sober, but at least his mind was somewhat framed at the current situation. They were quite for some time and the arising tension between them didn't help.

"I didn't expect you to be here," Mako finally broke the silence.

"Ha, we always meet at the most unexpected places and one of us is usually drunk," Korra scoffed.

"Seems like it, why break the tradition now?" Mako got up and walked towards his wife, who stared at his face the whole time. As much as she wanted to give in, she couldn't, so she turned her head away.

"Mako, is it always going to be like this? Sometimes, I forget we're even married in the first place," she brought up a rather sore subject for the both of them.

"I don't like it either, but with your duties, how could we ever play the roles of husband and wife?" he sternly questioned and Korra snapped her head right back him, anger showing.

"So being married is suddenly a duty? A role playing thing? Well excuse me if I'm not like every other woman in the world, I didn't ask to get married, _you _did!" she was standing now, poking her husband hard on the chest, but his facial expression didn't change. Every word stung and it was true, why couldn't they just be together instead of this estranged marriage they had?

"Yes, _I_ did. And I did it because I loved you, and I still do, but from time to time, I began to question whether you loved me back," he sneered at his angry wife's face who became impassive.

"Mako, you're really drunk, I don't think you even know what you're saying," she turned her back on him, but Mako had other plans and he spun her around, leaning his face close to hers.

"I may be drunk, but I know perfectly what I'm saying, I still question whether you love me or not, but you know what, I do know the answer to that," he huskily said as he leaned in for a kiss.

The kiss started sweet and pure, but suddenly, it became passionate as they crashed into the wall, their tongues dominating over the other. They stumbled into the bed and both of their jackets were off at this point.

"Really, so what's the answer then?" Korra asked, playing around a little as they continued with their sloppy yet meaningful kisses.

Mako just chuckled, "Don't even ask that." And his lips came crashing back down to Korra's as they began undressing one another.

The light shined on through the window and landed on Mako's face…..unfortunately. He groaned as he slowly opened his eyes and got up, his vision was slightly blurred and he shook his head to clear it out. That was a mistake on his part as an immediate sharp pain overcame his mind.

"Ugh, I should never drink that much again," he moaned as he fell right back into the pillows just wanting to sleep.

_Wait, this isn't my room_, he thought. He reluctantly came back up and took a good look around, and by coincidence, his wife just came out of the bathroom wearing simple blue silk PJs. She had a serious look on her face and Mako was surprised she was even here at all.

"Either I must be really suffering through a severe hangover or you're actually about to kill me," he grumbled. She was unmoved by those words and she sat down at the edge of the bed, facing away from him.

"We need to talk."


	2. Courage

**I will admit that most of the first chapter was only slightly edited and copy-pasted from the original, but like I said, this is a re-write and I have some plans for it. As for some questions, they will be answered in the story…no spoilers, I'm evil I know. **

_Ba Sing Se 178 ASC (__**Earth Time-**__ March 3, 1924)_

The air between the two was so thick from the tension and their recent activity. Korra's eyes were looking down and impassive, still facing away from him. Mako on the other hand, was staring intently at her, wondering what was going on. There was a sickening feeling in his stomach and he tried to push it down. The silence was killing him, he wanted to know what was so important that she wanted to talk about and why she actually stayed after the night.

"Korra."

"Mako."

They both said the others name at the same time that it made the atmosphere more uncomfortable than it already is. So Mako let her first.

"Go ahead, what is it?" his voice was soft and understanding, which made her bit her lip.

"Mako, we've been married for 5 years," she started, "Actually, we were pretty young, don't you think?"

He didn't respond, but he nodded his head. The memory came rushing back to him as his thoughts strayed back to those years ago.

_Republic City 173 ASC (__**Earth Time- **__May 5, 1921)_

The Avatar and the Fire Ferret's captain were walking around the City, it was the first time in weeks that they had the day off completely to themselves. With Mako resuming his role in pro-bending and Korra with her Avatar duties, least to say, they've been extremely busy. Bolin somehow managed to find a skilled enough water-bender to replace Korra in the team and they managed to finally win the Championship the year before. Korra of course attended the after-party celebrations; it was a really, really long and wild night. The mess was worth about 40,000 Yuan to clean up, but it was no problem at all.

"Hey, look at this, there's a fair tonight." Korra pointed to a poster, a gleam of childish excitement flashed through her eyes.

"So?" he asked, not really caring much for fairs.

"Oh come on, we should go!" she pouted, nudging him with her elbow.

"I'm not really one for fairs," he scoffed.

"Why? What's wrong with them? And look, they even placed that new coaster Asami's been talking about," she kept on trying.

"A roller coaster you mean? No thanks, we're benders, we already have enough adrenaline to last us a life time," he replied sardonically.

"You never know until you try it, you might actually enjoy it," she teased.

"Most girls would go for the Ferris Wheel, it's more romantic," he tried changing her mind, the word _tried_.

"Mako, since when was I the typical romantic girl?" she placed her hands on her hips, smirking at him.

He just sighed and shook his head, "Fine. We'll go to the fair tonight."

"Now that wasn't so hard was it? But we're going on that Coaster, whether you like it or not, just deal with it."

The conversation ended there and Mako knew he lost this one. There was absolutely no way changing his stubborn girlfriend's mind, there never was. As the couple continued walking around, he couldn't help but noticed a man looking through a jewelry store. Korra excused herself to find the bathroom, so he was waiting for her. His first thought of that man was why he'd be looking for jewelries; it's more of a lady thing. It wasn't any of his business so he looked away and just sat at the bench, closing his eyes and just relaxed.

"That young man is always there every day," someone said, Mako opened his eyes to find an elderly woman sitting down on the bench next to him.

"Oh, I uh, didn't know," Mako placed his hand behind his neck not sure what else to say.

"He told me that he wanted to propose to this one gal, just don't have the money to," she continued on. "Back in the old days, you didn't need fancy gold rings, real men made their own betrothal _rings_ or necklaces. My own parents didn't even have rings, even if they did, they would have probably lost it on their way to Ba Sing Se."

"I see, so what you're saying is, that man should just make his own?" he was confused on where this story was going on. The elderly woman let out a laugh.

"Are you kidding me? He's been working his ass off these last three months, so that's just as close as making his own. What I'm saying is, whether it's a ring or a necklace, us ladies wouldn't care what it is, we'll be happy to be married to our other half," she cackled, which made Mako a little nervous.

"Yeah, I think I already knew that," he replied.

"Look young man, marriages have their ups and downs, but what matters is that in the end, you still love each other and you can find happiness in one another," she wistfully said.

Before Mako could say anything, Korra finally came back and she was waving at him.

"Um, it was really nice to talk to you and thank you for advice Mrs…um?" he wasn't sure how address her; a simple Miss could have gone.

"Hope, my name is Hope." The woman chuckled before getting up and going her own way.

Korra ran up to the very confused Mako and poked him in the guts teasingly, "You're not cheating on me with an old lady are you?"

"What? Do you think that low of my standards?" he asked in mock hurt.

"You're right, you have me," she joked back.

"Whatever Korra, whatever," he rolled his eyes as he put his arm around her shoulders as they continue their stroll on the city.

_Republic City Fair 173 ASC (__**Earth Time – **__May 5, 1921)_

The fair was very mesmerizing to Korra who has never been to one, but it was also just as spectacular to Mako as for the first time, he's going in one without having to worry for thugs or looking out for his brother. The place was packed with people and business was swinging for those who were running the place. Kids were chasing each other with spirit masks, including the famous blue spirit. Some were looking a little nauseous but it didn't take Korra long to figure out why.

"Come on City Boy, we're going on that coaster right now," she dragged a protesting Mako towards the line for the ride.

"Korra, I still don't think it's a good idea. Those kids are throwing up!" he pointed to a few kids who just got off the ride and puking in the trash cans.

"What, are you chicken? Besides, we didn't even eat anything yet," she crossed her arms as she gave him a smirk.

"I'm not, I just don't think it's a good idea," he grumbled, putting his hands in his pocket looking away.

As the line grew shorter and shorter, Mako became more nervous as they came in closer to the wooden ride. It looked stable, but the way that it seemed to be a little rickety made him nervous. _They should consider making it out of steel, we have metal-benders don't we?_

That thought went out the window as soon as they were seated, he gulped a little when the safety bar was pushed down. Korra on the other hand, grew more excited, slightly nervous, but excited. The ride lurched a little as they finally started moving forward. Both of their eyes grew big as they started slowly going up, but for different reasons; Korra was very excited while Mako was very scared.

"Okay, okay, okay, I admit it! I'm scared, there you happy? Now let me off this ride!" he started panicking, hoping they would, but as he looked back(which was kind of hard to do considering they're at the front), he immediately regretted it; they were way up high now.

"Uh-uh, too late sweetie, we're about to go for the drop!" she exclaimed as they came to a small stop at the top.

Mako's hands tightened on the safety bar as they moved forward and dropped. Korra, along with the other people, had her hands up on the air and laughing. Mako was hanging on for dear life as the ride twisted and turned and dropped. Just when he thought it was over as they came to a slow, it sped up again as they went up and down one more final time before they came to a slow turn.

"Woo-hoo! That was fun, don't you think?" Korra asked, fixing her hair. "Oh Mako, your hair's sticking up everywhere."

His legs were shaking and he just stared at the empty space while his girlfriend fixed his hair. After she was done, he said "That was actually pretty fun, but we're never going on that again."

"Ah, you're no fun. But seeing as you're clearly shaken up, I promise we won't again," she sighed as she put his arm around her.

The rest of the night was spent on mostly the booth games, a majority of them were non-bending games and a few for some benders. But it didn't matter, they ended up having fun in all of them. During that whole time, Mako's mind kept straying back to what the elderly woman said earlier. Sure they were young, but even at these modern days, people still got married in their early twenties, some when they're still 18. He is 21 and Korra's 20, they've been together for 3 years. Maybe it was time, yes, it was time. Tonight, he's going to propose and hope for the best.

"Hey, Iroh look, it's Korra and Mako!" Asami's voice was heard from their left. They turned to find General Iroh and Asami arm in arm walking towards them. It was strange to see Iroh in just casual clothes, normally he was either in his United Forces Uniform or in a suit.

"Hey, how are you enjoying the fair?" Mako greeted.

"Oh fantastic, we're having a great time! We were just at the Ferris Wheel and it was really romantic, right honey?" she asked her current boyfriend innocently.

"Oh, right, ahem, really, uh, romantic," he blushed as he looked away.

"Sounds like it was more than just romantic," Korra pointed out, giving a knowing smile. It was confirmed when the two of them blushed this time and looked away.

"Yeah, but I think you and Mako should go together, the view up there is actually great and really amazing. It's different than looking up from a tower and it has its own…feel," Asami said.

"Yeah Korra, we should go there instead of a _Coaster_," Mako drawled.

"You guys actually went on that thing?" Iroh was baffled, looking a little amused. "Asami tried to drag me there, she still is mind you, but that thing looks, no offense sweetie, unstable."

"Hey! I'll have you know that the ride is made by the finest and strongest materials there is. Besides, we got earthbenders and waterbenders on the lookout just in case something _does_ happen, though I doubt it," she rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure, but you're never going to get me on that thing, and look at the time, it's almost time to head back," Iroh took out his clock.

"You're right, well, it was nice seeing you here at the Fair, I hope you enjoyed the Coaster, bye!" she and Iroh waved back as they left.

After they left, Mako and Korra went to a food-stand to buy some barbecue. Korra insisted on paying and of course, like always, Mako lost this one. While she was in the line waiting, Mako couldn't help but noticed a non-bending booth nearby and he saw what the prizes were; one of them being necklaces, Water-Tribe necklaces to be specific. He remembered Korra's old master, Katara, saying that in their culture, a betrothal necklace was a way to propose to women. Well, he certainly didn't make them, but winning them was better than nothing.

"Excuse me sir, what can I do to win that necklace right there?" he asked the booth contender.

"This fine one here, well my man, you have to knock these blocks here from the pedestals…straight, all of them have to be knocked at once. But that's just to get this necklace, you sure you wanna be fighting for this one, son?"

"I'm positive," he was confident he would do it.

"Okay, that'll be 5 Yuans."

With as much concentration as he could, he knock the first one off clean, easy. The next pedestal had at least 2 more blocks extra but he still managed to knock them all down. The final one was tricky, it had at least 13 blocks stacked in a pyramid. He let out a breath and let his arm ripped the ball through the pyramid. They all clattered into the floor and Mako was just about to jump up in victory until he noticed that one sole block remained.

"Aw son, you were so close. But for the first two, I can give you these stuffed ani-"

"Again, I wanna do it again," he paid the man 5 more Yuans and this time, he was ready.

He passed through the first two pedestals quickly, but the final one, he was determined to get that betrothal necklace. Again, he let out a breath and put much effort into his pitch as the blocks came clattering. This time, they all went down and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Winner! We have a winner! All right young man, here's this necklace you're so eager to get. Now tell me, who's the lucky lady? I mean, you're not actually going to wear that are you? And why do you want it so badly?" the man asked and Mako just smiled.

"Ever read Water-Tribe culture? And she's about the craziest girl you'll ever meet, thank you!" He ran off, leaving the confused booth man, back to the tables to find Korra already sitting down and munching on some barbecue sticks.

"There you are, where've you been? I've been waiting for you!" she exclaimed with her mouth full.

"I was just making sure," he grinned.

Korra had obviously confused expression, but she just shrugged and passed some barbecues to him.

They ate in silence for a while but Korra did noticed something off about her boyfriend and she was going to find out what; but before she could say anything, he cut her off by saying something else.

"You know, let's go to the Ferris Wheel; I know, I know, you're not that type, but just this once, after all, it's my turn to pick the ride," Mako said this all so fast that she barely comprehended what he said. "Ugh, never mind, let's go now!"

"Hey!"

Mako dragged Korra to the Ferris Wheel leaving their barbecue on the table. She was complaining the whole time on how she didn't finish her food, but he wasn't having any of it.

"I'm starting to wonder who the guy in this relationship is here, Mako," she huffed as they finally made it to the line and they were catching their breaths.

"Oh be quiet," he panted.

Fortunately enough, the line wasn't that long and they were immediately in one of the cars. There was silence between the two as it slowly moved upwards; Mako's heart has never beat so much before, his hands were getting a little sweaty and he tugged on his scarf a couple of times. All he had to do was take it out and ask the question, not that hard, right? Unfortunately, Mako's nerves were the last straw for Korra as she's been wondering what was going on.

"All right Cool Guy, I've kept it in long enough, what's got you so off?" she crossed her arms and stared at him questioningly.

"U-uh, I uh, ahem," he stuttered then cleared his throat. Clearly, this was a lot harder than he thought it would be. They were almost at the top and he knew he was running out of time, but the words just would not come out of him. Korra kept staring at him, the ride kept going up and finally, just **finally**, he mustered up the courage to pop the question.

"Korra, will you marry me?"

_BOOM._

They both turned their heads towards the sky to find remnants of sparks falling down; they were having a fireworks show. That's right, today was the day that the 100 year war ended. How they forget a day so important, they weren't sure, but apparently a lot of people were cheering and some were even wearing Avatar Aang's old attire. No matter how old they were, they were still awed by the fireworks and it's images they were portraying. Somehow, Cabbage Corp found a way for non-benders to shape up the fireworks into anything. The show was almost done and both of them were at the bottom again.

"Well that was a great show! But, did you say something up there? Sorry, I couldn't really hear you from all of the noise," she apologized sheepishly.

Mako's heart dropped and he mentally slapped himself; he could barely muster up the courage to ask the first time, how on Earth will he ever even _find_ the courage to ask again?

"This will be a long night, won't it?"


End file.
